Celery Caesar Salad Crunchy (Print View)

Fresh celery, crunchy croutons, and Parmesan unite in a creamy, tangy Caesar-inspired salad.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Salad

01 - 6 large celery stalks, thinly sliced diagonally
02 - 1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
03 - 1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
04 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Croutons

05 - 2 cups day-old rustic bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

→ Caesar Dressing

08 - 1 large egg yolk
09 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
10 - 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
11 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 - 1 garlic clove, minced
13 - 1/2 cup olive oil
14 - 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
15 - Salt and pepper to taste

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and cool completely.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together egg yolk, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and minced garlic. Gradually drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil while whisking constantly until thick and emulsified. Fold in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
03 - Combine sliced celery and chopped romaine in a large bowl. Add half the dressing and toss gently to coat. Add additional dressing as needed to achieve desired coating.
04 - Arrange dressed salad on a serving platter or individual plates. Scatter cooled croutons over the top. Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The celery stays crisp even when dressed, giving you that satisfying crunch that regular Caesar salads sometimes lose.
  • Homemade dressing tastes nothing like the bottled stuff, and it comes together in under five minutes once you know the trick.
  • It's light enough for a weeknight dinner but impressive enough to set on the table when people are coming over.
02 -
  • The key to a creamy Caesar dressing is patience with the oil; rush it and the emulsion breaks, leaving you with an oily mess that no amount of whisking can fix.
  • Don't dress the salad more than 10 minutes before serving, or the celery softens and loses the whole point of being in this salad in the first place.
03 -
  • Slice your celery on the diagonal an hour before serving and keep it in ice water; it'll stay impossibly crisp and even get a little bit curly at the edges.
  • Toast your croutons the morning of if you're serving dinner; they hold up better than you'd expect and taste just as good at room temperature.
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